Conservation News

Conservation International (CI) recently visited the Foja Mountains, part of the Mamberamo Basin, the largest pristine tropical forest in the Asia Pacific region. In 2005, the area was dubbed a "lost world" after scientists discovered dozens of new plants and animals in the dense jungle.

A giant rodent five times the size of a common rat has been discovered in the mountainous jungles of New Guinea.

Conservationists also found a pygmy possum - one of the world's smallest marsupials - on the trip to the remote north of Papua province, Indonesia.

For more information on other species found (and to see more photos) visit the BBC website.

The number of tigers in India has fallen drastically Police in India's northern Uttar Pradesh state say they have arrested 16 people in connection with hunting tigers and smuggling skin and bones. The police said they have recovered tiger skin, bones and hair from the arrested people in Allahabad city. A recent study found that the number of tigers in India had fallen to under 1,500 provoking the government to create a tiger protection force.

India's last major survey in 2002 put tiger numbers at 3,642. Wildlife activists blame poaching and urbanisation for the decline and say the authorities must do more. Senior Uttar Pradesh police official Amitabh Yash said that the police had seized four tiger skins, and 100kg of animal bone and hair from the 16 men arrested on Tuesday evening. He said a gang of 12 hunters, including 10 women, had come to Allahabad to deliver the tiger parts to four smugglers.

Criticised

In May, a census commissioned by the government showed that India had far fewer tigers living in the wild than had been thought. The study, conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India, showed tiger numbers falling in some states by two-thirds in five years. Wildlife experts have criticised the Indian government for failing to crack down on poachers and the illegal trade in tiger skins. Tigers are poached for their body parts - skins are prized for fashion and tiger bones are used for oriental medicines. Tiger pelts can fetch up to $12,500 in China. It is estimated that there were 40,000 tigers in India a century ago. The country is home to 40% of the world's tigers, with 23 tiger reserves in 17 states.

Conservationists are celebrating the birth of two tiger cubs in a zoo in the icy Siberian town of KrasnoyarThe cute cubs are being hailed as miracles and are the result of attempts to save an animal on the brink of extinction. For years the Siberian tiger has defied breeders who have failed to successfully rear the animal in captivity. Such is the rarity of the births, keepers at the zoo believe this a breakthrough in the battle to save the species. But they also know that breeders will need to bring many more such cubs into the world before the Siberian tiger can be assured of its future.

Defying growing international pressure and a global whaling ban, the Government of Japan launched its whaling fleet Sunday morning for an international whale sanctuary around Antarctica, where it intends to kill more than 1000 whales over the next four months. Japan claims its expanding annual whale hunts are for scientific purposes and earlier announced it would add 50 endangered humpback whales, protected from commercial hunting for more than 40 years, to its annual target list. New findings from international legal experts in recent weeks have challenged Japan’s claim that its expanding whaling is legal under international law.

Madrid, Spain – Spanish authorities have announced the discovery of a previously unknown population of Iberian lynx, triggering hope for the world’s most endangered cat species, said WWF.

It appears that the new population was discovered in previously unsurveyed estates in the Castilla-La Mancha region in central Spain.

At present, the exact numbers and location of the newly discovered population are being kept confidential, but the population is thought to be made up of both adults and cubs. Until the exact location is known, conservationists cannot confirm if this population is genetically distinct from the larger and more stable population of lynx found in Andujar in the south. “We are excited and amazed by this discovery,” said Luis Suarez, Head of Species at WWF-Spain. “However, we are a long way from saving the Iberian lynx from imminent extinction.”

According to the most recent comprehensive survey prior to this discovery, there were about 100 adult Iberian lynx in 2 isolated breeding populations in southern Spain. The population is thought to have since risen to some 110 adults. The Iberian Lynx faces myriad threats — a lack of prey, accidental deaths from cars and trucks on Spanish roads, and new construction work destroying habitats. WWF is calling for all lynx habitat to be covered by the EU's Natura 2000 Programme, which offers the strongest level of protection in Europe, something that still hasn’t happened despite years of petition.

“We hope this discovery reinvigorates action in Spain to save the world’s most endangered cat species, Suarez added. "If Europe cannot take responsibility for Europe’s ‘tiger’, then shame on us all.”

Habitat loss and commerical hunting have been blamed for a decline in the number of sun bears - the world's smallest species of bear. An assessment by World Conservation Union (IUCN) has re-classified the animal as "vulnerable". Experts estimate that sun bears, found in south-east Asia, have declined by at least 30% in the past 30 years.

The IUCN's bear expert groups warn that six out of the world's eight bear species are threatened with extinction. "Although we still have a lot to learn about the biology and ecology of this species (Helarctos malayanus), we are quite certain it is in trouble," said Rob Steinmetz, a member of the IUCN bear specialist group.

Experts are fearful for the long-term survival of sun bears

"We estimate that sun bears have declined by at least 30% over the past 30 years and continue to decline at this rate." Mr Steinmetz said deforestation had reduced the size and quality of the bears' habitat. "Where habitat is now protected, commercial poaching remains a significant threat," he added. "We are working with governments, protected area managers, conservation groups and local people to prevent extinctions of the many small, isolated sun bear populations." Until this latest assessment, the bears had been classified as "data deficient" because not enough was know about the state of the species.

Uncertain times

One of the iconic species for conservationists, the giant panda, remains listed as "endangered", despite recent efforts in China to release captive-bred pandas into the wild. "Even though some people have claimed that panda populations are on the rise, we still consider them endanagered because too much uncertainty exists to justify chnaging their status," explained Dave Garshelis, co-chairman of the IUCN bear specialist group. Although the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) remains the world's most threatened bear species, there are reasons to be optimistic about its long-term survival. China has established nearly 60 panda reserves, a logging ban and begun a programme of reforestation.

Out of the eight species featured on the IUCN Red List, only the American black bear is considered secure throughout its range, which includes Canada, the US and Mexico.

The American black bear is the only species not to be under threat

With an estimated population of 900,000, there are more than twice the number of American black bears than all the other species put together. "An enormous amount of effort and funding for conservation and management continue to be directed at bears in North America," said Bruce McLellan, Mr Garshelis' fellow co-chairman of the group. "It is unfortunate that so little is directed at bears in Asia and South America where the need is extreme."

The assessment of the seven terrestrial bear species and polar bear (technically classified as a marine mammal) was published on Sunday following a meeting in Mexico. The findings will be used to update the bears' entries in the 2007 edition Red List of Threatened Species, which is considered to be the most authoriative audit of more than 41,000 species.

RED LIST DEFINITIONSExtinct - Surveys suggest last known individual has diedCritically Endangered - Extreme high risk of extinction - this means some Critically Endangered species are also tagged Possibly ExtinctEndangered - Species at very high risk of extinctionVulnerable - Species at high risk of extinctionNear Threatened - May soon move into above categoriesLeast Concern - Species is widespread and abundantData Deficient - not enough data to assess

India is lining up a "tiger protection force" to try to prevent poachers forcing the animal into extinction. New figures put numbers at less than 1,500. But how do experts count the big cats?

As any visitor to India's wildernesses will tell you, the beautiful Bengal tiger is an elusive beast. You might hear one, see its droppings or spot its footprints in the mud, but few clap eyes on one.

Even for experts, arriving at an accurate estimate of their numbers is a huge challenge. First they have to find the tigers, or evidence of them, then be sure they haven't counted the same one twice. With tiger numbers at such a critical low, it is crucial to know how many remain. You need 30 to 40 breeding females and 10 to 20 males to form a viable population," says Valmik Thapar, one of India's leading conservationists. "Otherwise in-breeding becomes a problem."

The authorities also need to gain a clear picture of the extent of poaching - the biggest threat to tigers. The latest figures are based on data collected using a variety of techniques from radio-collaring to camera trapping. Numbers are gathered for an area of 100km2 then extrapolated to give an estimate for a wider area.

Caught on film

Camera trapping - getting the animal to set off a camera to take a picture of itself - was pioneered in the 1920s by Englishman FW Champion, a forester with the Imperial Forestry Service in India. Using tripwires and flash, Champion obtained dozens of remarkable photographs of tigers at night, as well as other passing wildlife.

Champion was fascinated by tigers and hated having to issue permits to dignitaries who came to his area of forest to shoot them. "He often gave out permits for areas where he knew there weren't any tigers," says his grandson James Champion, who is researching his grandfather's life for a book.

A rare early conservationist who detailed his experiences with tigers in two books still used by foresters today, Champion recognised that with good photographs of the animals, it was possible to tell individuals apart by their different stripe patterns. But since tigers numbered tens of thousands at the time, there was little need for counting and the idea of using photography for that purpose seems to have been lost in the mists of time. By the 70s tiger numbers had been decimated by hunting, habitat loss and poaching. Then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi outlawed hunting and launched Project Tiger in an effort to save India's most impressive beast.

Scientists involved in the project used a technique called the "pugmark method" - taking plastercasts of tiger footprints and measuring them - to provide data on the tiger population. But the technique had many pitfalls; it's difficult to get a good foot impression in hard soil or by a waterhole, and how to tell how many cubs in a litter when all their footprints would be roughly the same size?

Thirty years on, many experts began to realise using pugmarks alone was unreliable and began arguing for more sophisticated means. Camera trapping came back into fashion. Now cameras are set off by more advanced methods than Champion's tripwires, and photos show both sides of the animal, making identifying and comparing them much easier. Using these photos along with signals sent by radio collars, conservationists behind the recent national survey in India have gained more accurate data than ever before and the sad truth has emerged - a tiger population that many fear is on the brink of dying out.

"I had a meeting with the Prime Minster [Manmohan Singh] the other day and I didn't mince my words one tiny bit. I told him we are heading for extinction, so let's see what happens," says Valmik Thapar. FW Champion would doubtless be delighted to know camera trapping is being used again, but horrified that numbers have dropped so low.

Drowning polar bears have come to represent the face of the global warming threat. But in order to have a true chance at saving these amazing animals from the devastating impacts of climate change, we need to save them from trophy hunters first.

Numerous studies have now shown the effects of warming temperatures on declining polar bear populations and ice habitats -- from drowning and starving to reports of cannibalism among bears. Sport hunters are not allowed to kill polar bears in the US. But thanks to a loophole in US law, US hunters can apply for a permit to kill a polar bear in Canada and bring their "trophy"- a polar bear's head or hide - back with them. With polar bears more in danger than ever, it is time to close the trophy hunting loophole.

Polar bears are the only marine mammals that are allowed to be trophy hunted and brought into the U.S. by sport hunters. Even if polar bears are listed on the endangered species list, it does not mean that the sport hunting and importing from Canada as trophies will end. In fact, the government has stated on its website that if the species is listed as threatened, the Service would work with the Marine Mammal Commission, Congress, and all interested parties to consider a special rule allowing the continued import of trophies from healthy bear populations!

Please contact your federal representative and senators and urge them to support The Polar Bear Protection Act. Ask them to close the loophole that allows for sport hunters to kill polar bears and bring their hides and heads into the US.

The absurdity of hunting polar bears, with all of the other threats that they face, should end.

A gorilla protection ranger has been killed in an ambush by rebels. He was shot and killed while out on an anti-poaching patrol north of the park station at Rumangabo. The Mai Mai rebels, a Congolese group that seeks the destruction of the park and earns income from the bushmeat trade, ambushed the rangers. Another ranger was also injured during this unprovoked attack. He is now recovering in hospital.

Rangers Diddy and Innocent monitor and protect the remaining gorillas in the war-torn region. In their weekly diary, they describe life on conservation's frontline.

"Ahead of Wednesday's publication of the 2007 Red List of Threatened Species, Dr Richard Leakey argues that conservation alone cannot save threatened species such as the mountain gorilla. In this week's Green Room, he calls for action on humans' needs as well."

"The armed conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has pushed more than 35,000 people from their homes and threatens the forest habitat of mountain gorillas and other wildlife living in Virunga National Park. WWF is active on the ground to meet humanitarian needs and reduce the environmental effects of this conflict.

The thousands of displaced people have settled in two sites very near the park--with part of a third settlement spilling into the park. These refugees urgently need basic supplies--especially firewood to cook meals and heat their temporary homes. WWF is partnering with the United Nations and other organizations to provide firewood so the displaced do not begin to harvest it from Virunga National Park’s forests."